The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday reacted to remarks reportedly made by Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Asif Munir, during his visit to the United States, calling them “nuclear sabre-rattling” and part of Pakistan’s “stock-in-trade.”
In a statement, the ministry said the comments reflected the “irresponsibility inherent” in such rhetoric and reinforced “well-held doubts” about the integrity of nuclear command and control in a state “where the military is hand-in-glove with terrorist groups.”
The MEA also termed it “regrettable” that the remarks were made “from the soil of a friendly third country.”
Reiterating New Delhi’s position, the statement added: “India has already made it clear that it will not give in to nuclear blackmail. We will continue to take all steps necessary to safeguard our national security.”
During his US visit, Munir reportedly said that Islamabad would take down “half the world” with it if the country faced an existential threat from India in the future.
“We are a nuclear nation. If we believe we are going down, we will take half the world down with us,” Munir said.
On the Indus River issue, Munir reportedly said: “We will wait for India to build a dam, and when they do, we will destroy it. The Indus River is not the Indians’ family property. We have no shortage of resources to undo Indian designs to stop the river.”
According to Pakistani media, the remarks were made at an event organised by members of the Pakistani-American community in Tampa, Florida.
(with agency inputs)
